HARRISBURG – The arrest of a Harrisburg city commissioner for alleged DUI threw the area’s policing entities into somewhat of a temporary turmoil on the evening of Sunday, February 14…less than two weeks after that same commissioner voted to wrest oversight and control from Harrisburg’s police chief and give it to a “public safety director.”
Richard Harper, 69, of Harrisburg, was stopped by a Harrisburg police officer at around 7:30 p.m. that evening on Illinois Route 13 east of town, in the vicinity of Vince Ashley Drive (what used to be Missouri Street, which leads south back into town toward the area of Harrisburg Medical Center.)
The stop was considered a ‘suspicion of driving under the influence,’ but when the officer realized who was driving, before proceeding with the DUI assessment he called for Saline County Sheriff’s Office to come and continue the stop, on a conflict, since Harper is on the city council, which oversees the city police.
Chief Deputy Ken Clore confirmed that Illinois State Police were also called, and stayed with the deputy throughout the process as an additional measure.
Harper was taken to the Saline County Detention Center, booked on DUI and was released on a $300 cash bond, which allowed him to keep his driver’s license.
He was not allowed to take his vehicle, however; it stayed on 12-hour impound at the center.
Reports that attorney Robert Wilson was present at the jail when Harper was being booked had been unconfirmed as of press time, but Disclosure is examining that. Wilson has been a former city mayor as well as city attorney and is currently said to be embroiled in some capacity in the ‘gentlemen’s club’ that has had all of Saline and surrounding counties bristling with indignation over the past several months (see related story, front page).
Whether or not Harper is a member of that club, or whether that was where he was coming from upon the traffic stop (which route could easily have taken him to his home in that quarter of town) is also unknown.
The contention occurring on the city council right now toward the city’s police department, as orchestrated in part by Harper, and which could have a direct impact on the club’s success, also remains unverified as it pertains to the club…or, it could simply be that mismanagement in past years by finance and police commissioners on the council have brought things to this point.
Whatever the case, the office of public safety director was created on a 3-2 vote at the regular city council meeting Feb. 4, with Harper and public property commissioner Beth Montfort spearheading the matter (John McPeek was the third commissioner to give it a yes vote, with Mayor Dale Fowler and commissioner Natalie Miller dissenting).
The gripe, in essence, is that the city’s police department is enduring financial duress due to overtime and other expenses, including retiring officers, which is creating a serious burden on the budget.
The position of public safety director, at an additional $6,000 to the city’s annual budget, ostensibly will curtail some of that, “freeing up” Police Chief Whipper Johnson to manage his department while, supposedly, someone else manages the budget.
That “someone else” came in the form of a nomination of Fire Chief John Gunning, which, the council explained, would be a great fit, since the public safety director will also oversee the fire department’s budget management.
On Feb. 4, Gunning was pulled into executive session after nomination…but he declined.
The public learned, however, that Gunning accepted the appointment the next day.
“I accepted this to try and help the PD,” Gunning told Disclosure on Feb. 5. “I’ve spoken with several of them and they seem to think this can help.”
Gunning didn’t respond to the question of what changed his mind from the previous night.
Johnson only expressed his concern that while a civilian (Gunning doesn’t have a badge and therefore, no arrest 
powers) cannot be in the chain of command of police, he hopes people understand that the position is simply one of administration…and that, in administrating, the public safety director doesn’t cut officers, refuse to hire more, or reduce shifts, since crime in Harrisburg has taken a decided uptick, this according to stats made available by State’s Attorney Mike Henshaw’s office. The county has been dealing with an average of 1.5 felony filings per day for the past several months. Most of those emerge from the city of Harrisburg and involve crimes of violence or drugs. Therefore, trained police officers – and managers/administrators who know at least to let the police do their job without micromanaging – are crucial to the front lines.
Whether that’s going to continue under the auspices of a public safety director or not remains to be seen.
Back to the arrest of Harper – the timing, for the city council, couldn’t be worse.
The city’s mayor, however, is dealing with it with his characteristic aplomb.
“This is a very serious situation,” Dale Fowler told Disclosure Monday morning, Feb. 15. “We will let the legal process carry itself out. The Harrisburg officer acted appropriately to have Saline County take over the stop. As elected officials, we need to set a good example and should be held to a higher standard. I hope this councilman seeks the help that he needs.”